Our Story
Hello, and Welcome to Mariposa Meadow! I'm Anni Welborne, the owner, Chief Dreamer, and greenhouse supervisor of Mariposa Meadow. I'm an an educator with decades of experience teaching a wide variety of students in many different situations. I currently teach ESL online and keep things growing in the Meadow.
I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated with butterflies. I remember being so small, standing so still in my father’s large zinnia patch in the garden that I was literally eye-to-eye with butterflies.
For many years, they were just pretty and delightful. But then I noticed there were fewer and fewer of them. I started researching why I wasn’t seeing as many of them as I remembered from my childhood, and I discovered just how desperately endangered our butterflies and other pollinators are. I knew I needed to do something!
This research adventure has taken me far beyond where I thought it would!
In 2019, we purchased the land adjoining our property and began dreaming of opening the Meadow. Located on 6 acres in beautiful, rural Benton County, Indiana, our mission is to ENCHANT and delight your senses, ENGAGE your heart and mind regarding vital role that pollinators and native flowers play in our environment, and EMPOWER you to make your own space in this world more inviting and life sustaining to butterflies, pollinators, and all life.
I am joined on this adventure with my husband Chuck who takes care of the finances and website. Our daughters, Christy and Stacy, help out with just about everything. And of course, we have fabulous volunteers, without whom we could not do this!
Right now, we are only open for announced plant sales. We hope to open the entire Meadow to the public in the spring of 2025. In the meantime, enjoy the Gallery of photos, check the blog detailing how the Meadow began and many other topics. During the summer, look for announcements of our plant sales, which help fund the Meadow.
The famous butterfly dress!
The Welborne family -- Christmas 2023